PARTING

I’m the loser
Of this game…
Nevermore to win again,
For I’ll be haunted
By this loss
At every step,
Each path I cross.

Forever gone,
What could have been,
And now left in its place…
An empty house,
A sad refrain,
And memories
So soon to fade. 

Defeated, I
Will step aside
And on the sidelines wait,
Watching those who
Know the rules
Enjoy a better fate…
Than parting ways.

 

How Strange the Season

How strange the season
Neither warm nor cold,
Minus the hope of planting
And absent the joy of harvest,
Empty in its striving,
Constant motion lacking direction
As the winds of change whisper
In a language unknown,
Hinting at better weather
While disturbing stillness,
Working to lift and carry
The weightless worries of surface thoughts
Like paper clouds seeking dispersal.

Neither the sun nor the moon
Understand this spell,
Their orbits, predictable,
Comfort the blackness of space
That chills and surrounds,
Celestial forces pulling others closer
With attraction sustained,
Never without like kind,
Always grand in scale and beauty,
Unquestioned in purpose,
Unbroken in function,
Neither alive nor lifeless
Like puppets in the hands of God.

Odd, the compulsion
To feel our existence,
Eyes searching for color
Find the black and white of reason
As arms reach out for union
Not to be gained at length,
And words convey only knowledge
To ears in tune with wonder,
Aching to hear the song of hearts
Ablaze amidst the gray ashes
Of a garden devastated by death,
Keen for the promise of its green,
Inviting hope like birth and laughter.

The Heroine

The heroine in this story
Isn't much of one, you see,
For never did she save a life,
Or keep rich company,
No servants did attend her bed
Or princes bend their knee
To she who quietly made her way
To where her heart was free.

Our heroine never killed a foe
Nor rescued one in need,
Her shoes were never made of glass
Nor were her gardens green,
She never cast a spell of love
Or rode a handsome steed,
But spent the years in waiting
For her heart to be set free.

And though her tale is told to none,
Her deeds pass by, unseen,
No one writes about her world
Nor wonders where she's been,
And never will her face appear
Upon a movie screen,
No less important is her heart,
A star that now shines free.

Heart Song

A heart that sings
Is a heart that dreams
And looks to the future with hope,
With faith in the unseen
As substance alive
With the light and the purpose of love.

A heart that can fly
Is a heart that can rise
Above the malaise of the world,
In spirit to worship
The maker of heaven
Who blows like the wind through our souls.

A heart that can grow
Is a heart of flesh
That's after expression of truth,
Forever transparent
In wanting the best
For the other hearts tied to its strings...

Wanting

I want to see you on the water

Coming forth to rescue me,
Reaching out your saving hand
To pull me from the rising waves.

I want to feel your arms around me,

Hear you say that all is right,
Rest within your strength and mercy
‘Til I’m swallowed by your light.

I want to live with only you, Lord,

Where my faith works miracles,
Forgetting all that lies behind me,
Pressing on toward heaven’s goal.

Lost Long Before

I lost you long before I fell
From structures made of men
To underneath the forgotten,
Begging for morsels not my own,
Floundering in the shallow depths of need.

I lost you to my own desire,
While searching eyes grew dim
And all I had was stolen -
Never mine, the echoed cries
That fueled the arson's dying fire.

I lost you in a vain attempt
To have and hold again,
As if tired, used up refrains
A different song would make,
Even played for ears in tune with mine.

Go Back Inside

‘Go back inside’,
The silent voice said,
‘For no one can see you
Out here nonetheless;
You’re better off hiding
Where safety is sure
Than standing out naked
Where you can be hurt.’

‘Go back inside’,
It chastised again,
‘Can you not feel the cold
Of a world wrapped in sin?
Out here the exposure
On your tender frame
You’ll never get used to,
Nor win at its game.’

‘Get back inside’,
The voice nearly yelled,
‘You do not belong here,
Among the debris
Of all that is broken
And hearts that don’t speak
To the ideals you live for -
Come, inside there’s peace.”

Everything Speaks

The trees have a message,

“Stand tall and firm,
Be green and alive
From your roots far below,
Reaching out farther
The more that you grow.”

The sky has a message,

“Look up and breathe,
Be aware of all life
As the winds blow, unseen,
Refreshing and stirring,
Delivering, free.”

The birds have a message,

"Listen, then sing!
Call out for joy in the day!
Soar upon wings
That delight in uprising,
And rest on the branches that sway.”

The earth has a message,

“Remember, you’re small
Compared with the One who
Imagined us all!
Be conscious of infinite
Space, chance, and time -
Keep this perspective always in mind.”

The rocks have a message,

“Stay grounded and strong,
Let the waters rain over your form,
Be still and unchanging
In adverse conditions,
Remaining unmoved through each storm.
 

Everything speaks!

The meaning is one,
For the messenger reveals all truth
In forms filled with beauty
Beseeching, ‘take notice!’
For therein is love’s finest proof.

 

 

I WALK WITH GOD

I walk with God.

Sometimes others follow,

Other times I am alone.

Occasionally, the path ahead is clear,

But usually it is obscured.

It is enough to be beside Him.

 

I walk with God.

At times I’m unwavering,

Other times I hesitate.

Then it appears that we

Travel in circles for a while

Beforeprogressing with direction.

 

I walk with God,

Though sometimes He carries me.

Infrequently, we talk.

Mostly we communicate silently.

There are times when I stumble,

But He keeps me from falling.

 

I walk with God.

Following Him requires devotion

To His way of wandering,

At times it is difficult

To stay close enough to see Him.

Sometimes I watch His back,

Other times I hold His hand.

 

I walk with God.

When He shows me things

Along the way, I am in awe.

When I perceive my own smallness

Next to Him, I am humbled.

 

I walk with God.

Sometimes we stand still

And I have to wait for Him to move.

At times I feel I can’t go on,

And He patiently waits for me.

 

I walk with God.

My road with Him

Is different than any other’s,

Yet sometimes they intersect.

Then I understand what it means

To share a walk with God.

Feeling Winter

The stark, brown lines
Of oaks in winter,
Thin against the endless sky,
Humble in their decrease,
Stretch like the soul
Toward heaven,
Bare and fruitless to the eye
Yet alive down deep
Where sleeping blooms
Await reawakening.

The pale, gray mood
Of clouds in winter
Flat across the widened sky,
Ambiguous in form
And bleak of portent,
Cold in its deceit,
Creeps like the ache of age,
Apparently hopeless,
Yet the warmth of Spring
Awaits reaapearance.